Why so much hate for the new iMac?

I find Mac users defending Apple against some deep seated hate that PC users have for Apple. It's been this way since the early 90's. I've used more PC's over the years than I have Macs, so I'm making informed comments, not just unearned vitriol.

I love my 21.5" iMac.

jmgregory1 said:

No, the facts stand for themselves. Overall as a percentage of ownership, Apple computers have less problems and their customer service is rated higher as well. I made a point to say it was my experience on both sides of the fence, but again the statistics don't lie. Apple makes higher quality products with a higher rated user experience than any PC brand.

You can argue all you want. I'm not denying you had issues with your Macs, but unfortunately your experience is not the norm.

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I'm not sure where you get your data, but Macs are just as prone to hardware failure as PCs. They're all assembled in the same plants in China and most by Foxconn. There's nothing magical about the hardware. And in some cases, some Mac models and generations are TONS more reliable than others. Late 2009 -Mid 2011 iMacs were highly unreliable on average. Mid 2010 through Mid 2012 Mac minis were rock solid. Mid 2007-Early 2008 (and Late 2008 for 17" model) MacBook Pros were incredibly unreliable with that NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT debacle; Late 2008 through Mid 2009 (and Mid 2010 15") MacBook Pros were less so, and now Mid 2010 13" and 17" along with all 2011 and 2012 unibody (non-retina) MacBook Pros are rock solid. It is highly dependent on the machine you're talking about and I'm sure that the same applies to literally every other name brand PC manufacturer for their products. The only thing that Apple has over them is infinitely better customer and technical support options and services and a more reliable, lower maintenance OS. That's it. Build quality on the exteriors is nicer, but that has no bearing on whether or not the internal components are likely or not to fail.

jeremy5561 said:

The 680mx is quite an expensive GPU, I'm not sure how expensive but probably about the same price as a desktop 680.

A lot of people don't see the value in design and see the computer from a more functional point of view. In that regard, making it thin and pretty could be a mistake because it's form factor means reduced performance. Because of the all-in-one form factor, the 680mx is used instead of the desktop 680, even though they're about the same price. In terms of function, the form factor doens't provide functional benefits. In fact, the form factor also means sacrificing a DVD drive. If performance and function is that important to you then you can something much better with a desktop PC.

But many mac users use their computers for things other than gaming, or they value design more. The 680mx might not be as good as a desktop 680 but it'll run games fine for the majority of mac users. Some people buy macs and are happy with it because of the design and some people buy macs and regret it afterwards because they bought it for the design and they realize that it doesn't perform as well as a similarly priced desktop PC.

Do your research, buy a PC if it suits you. PC's are fine, I don't like how mac users hate on PC's or get all smug about their macs. But macs are really nice computers too. It depends on what matter to you.

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Really, practical Macs exist. Unfortunately, they're somewhat limited to the non-retina MacBook Pro and the Mac Pro, but they are out there.

Contrastingly, I hate it when Mac users are fervently in support of machines (like the iMacs made in the past seven years) that have practical and design flaws and limitations for the users that they are intended for. Also the stressed importance of form over function is irritating given that, at their price point, form should be taking somewhat of a backseat over function.

53x12 said:

You made the statement that it was a one time deal ending that day. So I provided you with other links to show you there are other deals similar to that one.

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Yes, and long after I conceded, you still continued to argue. (Though the non-Lenovo deals you posted all lacked discrete graphics. Not that I care to further the argument there, but I figured I'd point that out.) I've said it before and I'll say it again, when I was looking in August, $200 was the disparity. Now, having looked at NewEgg, prices have come way way down to the point where the disparity is now $700 ($600 if you use the Educational discount) Would you still like to argue or are you finally done now too?

jmgregory1 said:

No, the facts stand for themselves. Overall as a percentage of ownership, Apple computers have less problems and their customer service is rated higher as well. I made a point to say it was my experience on both sides of the fence, but again the statistics don't lie. Apple makes higher quality products with a higher rated user experience than any PC brand.

You can argue all you want. I'm not denying you had issues with your Macs, but unfortunately your experience is not the norm.

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Learn basics of statistics, of course apple has less problems (as percentage of owned computers) then other brands as other brands do sell cheap PCs, not just premium ones. But that does not mean that apple is better than any other premium line of top PC producers... you can disagree, but that all you can do about that...

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Yebubbleman said:

I'm not sure where you get your data, but Macs are just as prone to hardware failure as PCs. They're all assembled in the same plants in China and most by Foxconn. There's nothing magical about the hardware.

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He is apple believer apple makes everything perfect, remember

jmgregory1 said:

No, the facts stand for themselves. Overall as a percentage of ownership, Apple computers have less problems and their customer service is rated higher as well. I made a point to say it was my experience on both sides of the fence, but again the statistics don't lie. Apple makes higher quality products with a higher rated user experience than any PC brand.

You can argue all you want. I'm not denying you had issues with your Macs, but unfortunately your experience is not the norm.

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For what it's worth...

I'm not a computer expert by any means. I only talk from my own personal experience. Every PC I have had has also had numerous software and hardware problems after ~3 years. I always thought that the demands from the complexity of new software seemed to tax these systems to death...hence a 2-3 year life expectancy. I will hand it to Dell, I had my best luck with their PC over a couple other brands I've owned. BTW, I work for a huge manufacturing company (>150k employees) and see the same situation with the Dell PCs we get. About every 2 years they are all replaced.

Being totally accustomed to PCs and Microsoft, about 3 years ago I did the unthinkable and bought a MBP. Because of my very favorable experience, I have since bought my son a MBP and also bought my wife the MBA. Incredibly, to my amazement, my first MBP is running like it did when new...not slowing or becoming problematic as my PCs did. IMO, Apple is like a Honda automobile. You can get other cars with better options, but the Honda will still run great when the others are on their last leg or have died.

I'm sure that not everyone shares my thoughts or opinion. That's okay. I say get what works best for you. As for me, I can't afford nor want the hassle of updating or purchasing a new computer every 2-3 years (as my experience has been). I'm thrilled with my Apple products.